Routes to a legal career
If you’ve decided that you want to embark on a career in law, your route to practice will be determined by whether you take a law or non-law subject at degree level.
If you study a law degree
Study a qualifying degree in English law and it will take you a minimum of six years to qualify as a solicitor and five years as a barrister.
These qualifying years break down as:
- Three years for the qualifying law degree
- One year for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Vocational Course (BVC)
- Two years for a training contract with a law firm or one year to undertake pupillage
If you study a non-law degree
Study a non-law subject for your degree, and you will need to add another year to this calculation:
- At least three years for the non-law degree you choose
- One year to complete a law conversion course, the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
- One year for the LPC or BVC
- Two years for a training contract with a law firm or one year to undertake pupillage
Many legal employers value candidates with a broad education and life experience, so welcome students who have followed this route.
Training contracts and pupillage
A training contract is the practical stage of training for solicitors during which time you experience a period of ‘learning on the job’, putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained on the LPC, usually within a law firm. Most full-time training contracts last for two years.
During your training contract, you’ll have to undertake additional training, including the Professional Skills Course (PSC), which covers further skills and knowledge that solicitors need in practice. You must pass the PSC in order to qualify as a solicitor.
Pupillage is the final stage of training to qualify as a practising barrister, carried out after successful completion of the BVC. Pupillage is commonly one year of hands-on training in an authorised pupillage training organisation, usually barristers’ chambers. The year is divided into two six-month periods, known as ‘sixes’. The first ‘six’ is ‘non-practising’, with pupils shadowing the work of a pupil supervisor. The second ‘six’ is ‘practising’, with pupils undertaking to supply legal services and exercise rights of audience (speaking in court).
Part-time study
If you want to combine work with your legal training, you can opt for a part-time qualifying law degree, followed by a part-time LPC and part-time study training contract. The latter can be combined with the last two years of a part-time law degree, a part-time GDL or a part-time LPC. This allows the trainee to count any time spent working as 50% towards the two-year training contract requirement, meaning a shorter training contract after completion of the LPC.
For more information, visit the Solicitors Regulation Authority website.
International students
Students from outside the European Economic Area should be aware of issues regarding work permits when seeking a training contract or pupillage.
If you need a permit to work in the UK, this may affect your chances of getting a job. If you are an undergraduate, your university's international student advisor should be able to help.
Once you are a student at the College, we can offer help and support in your search for a training contract or pupillage.
International students should read the Home Office’s ‘Working in the UK’ information to assess their status and find out the type of work permit they might need – see related links below.
